😡 RV Park and Travel Day Issues! (Full Time RV Life) 

As a soon-to-be rver, I have to tell you that I really appreciate that you put this kind of material out. Sure, it's nice to see the pretty mountains and the fantastic scenery, but dealing with this kind of situation, getting a view of what a bad day could look like, is invaluable. Thank you!

“How you deal with it determines how it affects you”. Literally the best advice I think you’ve ever given in any video!

The whole North America is in your hands and you choose Vegas in July. Us from NE think you're crazy, gland it all worked out, after few bumps.

a quick comment to help the RV Refrigerator run better is I switch a 1 gallon jug of frozen water from the freezer to the refrigerator section daily and refreeze the thawed water into ice. It helps with the interior temps in the summer and helps the refrigerator work better. YOU can also use the ice water when things get really steaming.

Worst RV park. I stayed there when we first started. We will not be going back. I wrote to Scott their VP. No response but after dealing with their manager I can see it's a management issue.

I really like how well you present your information and don't ramble on with superfluous commentary. In September we bought our third RV and first 5th wheel, and I've learned SO MANY technical tips and maintenance info that's been a game changer in helping us either avoid issues, or prevent problems. Thanks for providing such great content, and keep it coming!

My wife and I love watching all your videos. Here is a tip for you. In the future, when you travel on HOT days, run your generator while you are driving to your next location. This will keep your RV cooler and your refrigerator will stay cooler as well because it won't be using propane it will be on the electric. I do this all the time and it works great.

Yes - Reviews are a great source of information. That's why we posted our problems in a WV KOA that took three moves to find a pedestal that was properly wired.

Love the dog seat. We have one for our rat terrier. We call it his throne. He is 14 and goes to sleep as soon as we get going.

Wow, I can’t even imagine camping in 110+ temps! Glad you all were able to make it through the ordeal. I can relate to your fridge issues, we’ve had the same troubles here in South Georgia and Florida in the summer time. Wild fridge temp swings between daytime & nighttime. Finally got fed up with it and pitched the absorption unit and put in a new Dometic 12volt fridge. We had already upgraded to lithium/solar and everything works great! Looking forward to seeing more of the trip. 😉

Vegas RV Parks are notorious for low voltage in the summer. I think their grid is beyond its limit. Sites closer to the transformers can be a bit better, but not much. When we travel on hot days we run the generator and ACs while driving so the rig is cool when we arrive.

Oh we had the same BS at Wright’s Beach in Penticton this past summer summer. It was 114 F in our trailer - our EMS prevented any power going to the AC - the camps ground wouldn’t let us run our generator and they told us we could leave - oh there would be no refund! That will be our last time there…surprising that some RV parks miss out on opportunities to help their clients.

Love my exhaust brake! I always have it on, even when not towing…..I just wish I didn’t have to manually turn it on every time I start my Ram 3500. I’ve forgotten to turn it back on when towing before as well.

We can identify with camping in a very hot location - we camped in Big Bend National Park (TX) this summer (July) and it was over 100 degrees. We had issues with electric there - the 50 amp breaker kept blowing on the pedestal so I was forced to use the 30 amp one and our Victron Inverter on boost to get 2 AC units running. We were fine the day and night. The next morning we went hiking and left our dogs in the camper, knowing that with our batteries and inverter they would be fine even if the power went out. We did shut off one AC unit in the bedroom just in case there was a power issue the other one would continue to run. One of our dogs was in the bedroom and when we got back the main room in the camper was about 82 degrees but the bedroom was over 90 degrees since it was 106 degrees and we were in full sunlight on an asphalt parking area (Grand Village at Big Bend). Lesson learned ... need 2 AC units running during the day to keep the camper cool enough when it is over 100 degrees (we have a smaller Grand Design Solitude S-2939RL). Our dogs were fine except we had to be careful about the asphalt because it was very hot for their little paws - over 130 degrees. I installed some fans in the top vent area of our RV fridge that worked great even in hot temperatures. We have the 12CuFt version so it is not as large an area to keep cool. Someday I may convert it to a 12V compressor system with one of the JC Refrigeration kits they sell in Indiana. Before I installed the extra fans the fridge would get too warm and the freezer would get warm on hot (over 90 degree) days. Now it works fine.

Wife and I stayed in that same park at the end of July while we were headed to Sedona for the winter. Like you, we found that the power was aweful. We ended up in the space just down from where you were parked next to that building. Lucily we only stayed for 2 days. When we pulled in we told the fellow at the gate, who was very nice, that we needed good power because we had issues in the past, he was very helpful. We still blew the breaker during the day a few times. We ended up in Camp Verde outside of Sedona and it was hot, but the power never became an issue. Thanks for the great videos !!

I like Chad’s attitude. Through all this. Kudos to the both of you.

Never had a Diesel engine before now. Love it but even when I am in normal traffic without towing I turn on the engine brake. Makes stopping better

Wow, I feel your pain for sure. Alice and I had a very similar issue in Maine this summer but the park owner didn't try to work with us at all. When I went into the office the second time to report an electric issue and talk to him about LOW VOLTAGE his answer was to start yelling at me and KICK us out. No offer of another site just strait to getting kicked out. I actually recorded him yelling at me and I chose to put it into the video we did because he was the owner. We found out he has had several reports of electric issues and hasn't addressed them. We stayed at the same RV Park in Las Vegas as you guys in January. Thanks for sharing. This may have been the first video where Chad made an appearance without a hat.

Tara, always remember that guy has to try very hard everyday to be a jerk, it is a hell of a lot easier to be nice. Girl, you done good standing up for yourself.

Great video! Glad you are all safe and able to continue the trip. Not sure if I missed it but would recommend when on the side of a state highway always have a spotter looking at the direction of traffic and pull as far as possible away from the lanes. Take it from a former highway worker erranr vehicles are more common than we may think. Keep up the great work and stay safe.

No apologies necessary. You did better than I would have. Honest and helpful video. Thanks.

Oh, I feel your pain…we did about the same visit to Vegas 1st of July, but only on a motorcycle! Rode down from Carson City at night to avoid really bad heat..104 at midnight arriving at our hotel that did have good AC. Got to bend with the troubles, you guys did well , especially with the violin player! be of good cheer…

Hey Chad and Tara. Next time your are in extreme heat. If you have sufficient water supply, a spray of water on the condenser coils will reduce the temperature of the condenser coils. reducing the load on the compressor. I have used a water spray when the condenser fan failed. The water spray kept air conditioner running until a proper could be made. Good luck.

That’s serious heat! Great job at dealing with what life throws at you! Keep on trucking and stay safe!!

After 3 hours of changing sites etc, I can't believe how calm Chad is... the Goldie Locks comment is so funny! I don't think I'd have the patience to be joking by then... You guys are great!

For those who are wondering why go somewhere like Vegas thats so hot in July.... We were in Northern Montana over July 4 and it was over 100 for about a week!.. haha...definitely unexpected heat. We were boondocking so we had to deal with it in our own ways. So sorry you had such a bad experience with the Park peeps... but good attitudes all around (considering). Happy Travels!

I had a Tonka Truck like that I used to put it on a lowboy trailer when empty. It got a lot of attention.

My family and I are in Fayetteville with an average of 124 volts. However this RV resort is the best we’ve seen in our travels.

The voltage at my home in San Bernardino varied from 108 to 130 volts. I had to help a business owner install a voltage conditioner because he was losing computers during July and August due to the extreme voltage drops. BTW, I installed a 12 volt bus to power my wifi modems and routers instead of the AC system. This way they stay active while traveling! I had a similar problem dropping down from the TT in Idyllwild CA. Discovered that the dealer had jacked the brakes on the 5th wheel/

Chad, in addition to turning your Jake brake on you should also put your transmission in a lower gear so it'll also help your brakes. As a truck driver, I drop down a mountain in a lower gear with Jake brake on and rarely touch my brakes, or just tap them. Thanks Lavon

You've got a right to be "peeved" with the situation. We once ran into that problem at a site we love where as soon as we turned on the single AC (220 30A) it popped the breakers at the site. We called the office and they sent out a guy to take a look. He reset the breakers and five minutes later it happened again. He had to return to the service and reset the breakers again (this was happening with other sites as well). By the third time he said "here is the key to the box, just reset it when it pops off and I'll be back in a few hours". A few hours later he came to see me and replaced about half the breakers in the box. That solved the problem for the rest of our stay. It happened again at another site where the 220 / 30A service worked for about ten minutes and then crapped out. Luckily I had adapters and could plug into their 220 50A service and we lived off that for a week. We let them know about the problem as we left the site three days later and they said they'd look into it. Sometimes the AC service just isn't their priority and can cause problems even when you can run most of your trailer off batteries and propane.

Laser temp gun - Golden! Great info on the challenges of high temperature weather.

Daisy seemed terrible concerned about pulling over on side of interstate. lol

How cute SAS the little dump truck being hauled; I watched it five or six time.

I'm Glad you guys share the good and the bad with folks. I was wondering why you shared this video so late. My wife and I are ready to start our adventures. We ordered our Momentum a bit ago and are still waiting for it to arrive. We are so happy your channel has educated us of things and topics, we never even though about before. Thank You! :-) Go Air Force!

Until you get a residential refrigerator please look into the ARP control with extra fans. It will also protect your refrigerator. Also look into adding an additional baffle at the top of your refrigerator cooling unit.

We were in Moab UT and had similar power issues in July. You’ve got to keep track of your power!

I run engine brake all the time. When you're in the hills you can gear down too. Powerstroke doesn't have as good an engine brake as Cummins. Ford is a great truck though. I have a Ram/Cummins and a 35' fifth wheel.

Just use that engine brake all of the time when your towing. Saves brakes and wear and tear even in flat land!

We were in Vegas late August, on the way to Flagstaff. Spent the night there, but 120 degrees and miserable traffic. Just a place you have to go through to get somewhere else.

Tow haul mode every time pulling regardless if flat or mountains, OEM manual

Another GREAT video that is chock full of great and valuable information. Thank you again! Kev & Suni

Great info. We have heard of rolling blackouts in CA, last winters loss of power in TX. House or RV we need to be prepared with water, fuel, food. Right now our situation is crazy doesn’t matter where you are.

Tara has the cutest “frowny face”! Love you guys!

Forever learning. Thanks, never knew about the draw on the input Line AC . Now monitoring all our AC unit power drag on the input lines. Fortunately, this ground has good 118 AC. even with both units working. Discovered another factor : This rig isn't insulated well enough. Even at 92 degrees, this rig can't keep up and the units run for hours.

So sorry you had to deal with electrical issues in record high heat. You remained remarkably “cool” in spite of these issues. As a fellow RVer, the name of the park would be greatly appreciated since some of us are heading that way next year and are working on reservations for the coming year right now.🌞

Great video! I have to giggle at how you truly dislike the heat. I guess growing up in 120 degrees summers for the last 57 years I'm use to it. I even hike all summer. Grand Canyon last yr and at the bottom it was 127 degrees and it was HOT 🔥 glad you made it down the mountain safely!

Just now saw this video. So sorry you had so much trouble at the Vegas RV park. We stayed at the same park in March 21, and LOVED it. We are tiny at only 16 feet, and only 30 Amp. They were very accommodating with our need to be near a bath house.

I just watched this whole thing in disbelief. Made me laugh a few times too. Thanks for sharing, life on the road isn't always perfect

“17 days?! We’re not gonna last 17 minutes!” Private Hudson. I would have been so stressed about our dogs 🐕.

You know, that new look... the braids, they look pretty good. Happy camping!

The fiddle player should have got a foot where the sun dont shine... There is NO excuse for that kind of Behavior when you are in the hospitality business...Great job guys 👍👍👍

Alot of parks down that way have power issues. Maybe consider a "buck/boost" transformer setup in your basement just for these types of issues.

Trucker here…you’re very fortunate your rig didn’t go up in flames. If this happens again, remember this…ALWAYS keep driving until the smoke goes away. When you see trailers burned up on the side of the road, it’s from drivers riding the brakes too much, they panic and stop asap. THATS when the fire starts! If you keep driving for a few miles after it flattens out, the wind will do 2 things - help prevents flames from forming as well as cool the brakes down. Once they’re cooled down THEN pull over and assess the damage. It sounds like you did have a few miles of flatter terrain before pulling over, which 100% saved your rig

My favorite RV couple! along with Phil and Stacy!

super experience at Sun City RV.! Lisa helped us find the RV we were looking for, thank youall!

Thanks guys. I’m new 70 looking forward to getting on the road with my squeeze. I’m happy new year

I Love This Video Because Everyone Has A Day That Gets A Little iffy. God Bless You Both .

LOL Here I am sitting watching this from Vancouver Island our ancient heating fuel furnace is dead and has been for 3 days. No parts available. Thank God, I had gas plumbed to the property and bought a gas stove. New gas furnace is on order. It was 50°F this morning inside, and there was several inches of wet snow outside. Put a heating pad between the blankets last night. A Little Buddy propane heater went in the bathroom at 05:30 for the wife to have a warm shower, and I put her towels in dryer to heat up. I turned the gas oven on to pre-heat stuck a box fan on the counter to distribute some air. It was 68°F - 72°F in the kitchen and living room when she came out. I'll trade you some of that lousy hot Vegas air for some of our new improved cold fresh Canadian air. :) :) :)

When you own a big r.v. trailer i will tell you from over 30 years full time experience. It will cost the average 25' fifth wheel and truck $500 in repairs and maintenance every 100 miles you tow that trailer. If you want to go full time for life buy a new semi truck and a 25' box trailer preferably with a working refer unit . Have two big slide outs installed on both sides with stability jacks . Then build your interiors to your liking and the quality you want . Then you are set for life .

I spent a summer in vegas in an rv park. Thankfully my AC and RV fridge did just fine. Covered all my windows with that solar reflective. That really helped.

were you on that mountain-y stretch on I-15 through AZ at the time with your brakes? That's where we were when we lost a tire off the rear trailer axel...yes, the tire just flew off into the median. A car pulled up next to me yelling something, we thought she said something about a tire so we pulled off as soon as we could (there's no shoulder through there so it was over a mile before I could pull over). Thank God no one was hurt by our rogue tire. Of course there was no cell service there and it was dusk so we hobbled to the next exit which happened to have boondocking. We were able to retrieve the TPMS that night and the tire the next morning after a trip back to St. George to purchase lug nuts to put the tire (which was totally fine) back on the trailer. Just one of the many crazy adventures we've had RVing. Btw, Tara, I hope you're able to figure out something to heal your health. My husband was shocked by how much weight you've lost!

Lol, love the video. It's not always roses on the road. Also, love it when you take roads we have also been on. We had a stop in Vegas this summer and totally related. Too stinking hot!

Lol, the violin was funny. Newbies in the heat! You made so many mistakes. But maybe you’ll learn from them. Here’s a tip for your fridge. PULL IT OUT! Throw it away. Lol. You can put a residential in its place, not hard or expensive. But if you must keep it, get dry ice and put it in there. Works miracles in the heat. You won’t even have to run it.

Virgin River Gorge isn’t the place to run without your engine brake, and the hills and traffic of St George isn’t much better.

Hi Kids, Why no tire minders? Wouldn't that have brought it to your attention sooner. I think as a newbe and 78 I'm just going to avoid hot areas if possible. I worry about Tara with the lime disease. =keith

chad must have some experience or schooling in electrical engineering, he always knows so much about electrical work i can’t always follow along. very knowledgeable!

Tara, your hair looks great long and wavy. Very elegant :). Safe travels!

This is the best rv epasode I've ever seen!!! oh my we, my wife and I were laughing out loud Thank You and I hope this doesn't upsey you.

I am sure there is a good reason, but why did y'all not stay at Desert Eagle Nellis AFB Fam Camp? We were there in November for just a few nights and it was pretty nice. Not convenient to the strip but we were not impressed with that scene anyway. Apparently, nudity, weed and public intoxication urination are legal there and homelessness is encouraged. Jeeze.

I've been all over this country in an 18-wheeler in the summer and in the winter and when I retire and I get my dually and fifth wheel toy hauler the farthest South I'm going to go is North Carolina because anywhere below that it gets hotter than Hades in the summertime... I know I used to live in Florida and I'm glad I don't anymore and I'll never go back to Florida it's to hot. For this Northern Country Boy. 😎👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸

So this is how the other half of RV'ers live :) Love the fact that you have a motorcycle with you, this is my goal also !

I learned: Don't unhitch, don't do anything, until I KNOW I have good hook-ups. Like you guys here, I had to change sites repeatedly. If a park has "a" bad one, there's always a chance none of them are good.

Electrical code for RV parks assumes that no more than 50% of the rated capacity will be used at any time. This is part of the problem. Check for voltage drops throughout your system, also, particularly at either side of the twist lock. Also, soft start devices for AC units really work. The locked-rotor starting current of the compressor is what is blowing your breaker.

Hi! I'm a lifelong electrician and know the there are a lot of electricians that use Ohms law wrong. Keep in mind that as the voltage drops across a load (resistance) the wattage also drops. Therefore, as voltage drops on a circuit, so does amperage. The only way to get the full wattage out of a lamp or inductive load (AC unit) is to apply the rated voltage. Sorry that electrician didn't know that, a lot of guys learn this stuff early on in school but don't how to use it for trouble shooting later on.

awesome video. So many folks come out on the road with a Disneyland frame of mind. You folks give them an honest taste of reality. Thankyou. Full timer 5 years now.

Hi just a suggestion: when you're merging on the traffic is crank it up on the paved shoulder, until you get up to highway speed, then merge into the lane of travel ( love been driving Semi for 32 yrs. with Walmart now) 😉

We carry a voltage checker. About $15.00 at camping stores. Always check level and voltage first thing. Also we have our generator ready for any emergency. Travel safe. Robert Woods

We camped this past summer in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. We stayed in Big Bend around 110-115F, started off boondocking, but moved to the RV campground because our kiddos got sick. The RV campground was so empty we had solid 119 volts the entire time we stayed in Big Bend. A lot of the issues you described with electricity are pre brownout-like symptoms. Everything is running so hard on the grid it’s difficult to get nominal service delivered to everybody. We also experimented with some of those alternate cooling methods for the fridge and it helped some. For example, we ran our generator on propane instead of gasoline so it would run cooler, putting shade over the air conditioner unit itself, and others. As far as engine braking, we use ours every time we tow/haul as it puts less stress on the brakes and adds additional assurance that we can stop in time. Summer camping in the desert is not for the faint of heart and, for those considering it, requires a good bit of planning especially if you prefer boondocking over hookups. Stay safe out there and happy travels!

THX for no sugar coating!

Your doggie is soooo sweet. Looks like my Maltese.

Thanks you two. Stay Calm and RV On

Arizona & Las Vegas in the June - August is kind of like Minnesota December - February. You just have to stay inside 90% of the time. Except in the desert there's no snow to shovel.

Thank you for sharing all of this. It is a great help in a long term view of high heat areas. Great info. thanks.

I have found that many parks are not updated electrically. Also with so many new RVs having electric fireplaces as more turn them on at night it lowers the watts available. This is where the surge protector saves so much damage. Hard to deal with when you pay for the electrc that is not there. Might as well dry camp.

My engine brake shuts off too when I turn off the truck. Would be great if truck manufacturers would provide a setting to default engine brake to ON whenever a trailer is connected. Better to have it on and not need it vs. needing it and it is OFF. Glad y’all made it safe and sound.

That downhill section of I15 through the Virgin River Gorge is ... well ... gorgeous! I've driven it many times (in a car, not RV) and also flown down it several times in a vintage 1946 aircraft. Just stunning scenery. Rob from UK

Was wondering what your TPMS tire temperatures where Chad? Gosh, in those temperatures my main worry is my tires on our Phaeton, but I've never experienced 122 degrees before, albeit we've endured some hot temps in Arizona even in April, and as Canadians just aren't use to the maximum temperatures many southern states deal with in the summer heat. We do have an older Tiffin but it also has a residential fridge, so I'd hope it would be able to keep up in such heat! One question too that came to mind was, at least in the beginning, could you have started a generator to help get the amps you would need for the initial cool down period Chat/Tara? Glad it worked out in the end, as no one likes to see one thing after the next go wrong as on that particular day. Drive safe & enjoy!

That’s why I am wintering in the Rio Grande valley and be out of there mid March south Texas heat and humidity is a killer.

OMGOSH!!!!! Why would anyone speak to a customer or anyone that way? So glad you got settled and in cooler weather now😎

Words of wisdom for RV Life, "Roll with the punches." It's all about perspective. A lot of good info in the video. Thanks.

What an adventure shall we say you guys took. We have been to Vegas several times and once I repeat once I had to be there in July it was 116. Never again will we do that. At that time our RV had but one AC. It was kind of the trip you want to forget. Our new Solitude has 3 AC units like you and even then in 100 with no shade its hard to keep it cool inside. Keep em coming just love your videos.

The Oasis RV Resort in Las Vegas has always served us well.

I know this video is old but for anyone doing hot heat RVing you can buy umbrellas for top AC units, it helps.

Hughes voltage booster for RVs. $600 from Amazon. I would guess the campground was a small portion of the problem. Get a small digital voltage meter that you can plug in to an outlet. The voltage will bounce all day. Especially around quiting times, schools let out, etc. A voltage booster should help if you are ever in the situation again. Or if you have a motorhome like Phil run the diesel generator until the line voltage picks up. Vegas is the only place I have been where the swimming pools have chillers (like a pool heater only reverse).

It's funny how things work out... Here is my take away because its happened to me lots of time when your caravanning... When you have other folks traveling with you it takes you out of your normal rhythm. IE. worrying about making yellow lights how many states in and out or making your natural check lists in your head after you make your stop for fuel and drinks. Even being on the side of the road taking to each other and not concentrating fully on everything that is happening and getting back on this dangerous highway... Please do not misunderstand me Nobody I have ever seen is better at safety check than the both of you RV-ers.. But as you know it doesn't take much of a distraction to make bad things happen... Believe it or not caravanning is wonderful and a great change of pace but it has it's risks... Be safe guys... The Banks family.....

Oh yes, the power grid in the basin during the summer is horrible! NV Energy offers an incentive NOT to run the AC and high current drawing items during the day. Although we have a place in Henderson, we have our 5er at Desert Eagle (Nellis AFB) when we have company staying in town. Never had an issue with power from the 50A and run both ACs 24/7. There are several great RV resorts in the basin, bummer to hear about your issues and there is absolutely no excuse for the attitude from "that one guy". Awesome job handling the issues and glad you enjoyed the area. Happy RVing and keep those videos coming!

I engage my engine brake all the time. The reason is if you continuously exercise the turbo it is less likely to seize when you get a lot of miles on the truck.

You guys are so nice and for that can to speak to you is beyond words

I know that grade out of Page too. Hated it it. We lost an alternator going down it this fall. Ended up getting that fixed in Flagstaff. Was there in early September and it was hot then too.